Sometimes I think about my past experiences, the good and the bad, the successes and failures that I have had to endure and overcome.
If I had to do it over again, if I just had another chance, I wonder if I would still make the same mistakes.
People prefer to shut themselves to the problems that they stumble upon. Especially, the ones difficult to explain or talk about. Most of the time, they lack the confidence to stay and fight. To dispel fear. To show themselves to be courageous.
I have been that way all my life. I have stood my ground and fought no matter what it took. Like staying alive. There were days when death came-a calling. It's true. I have cheated even death, many times over.
It was something I willed myself to do.
However, now I have learned that you need to walk away from some problems. To leave when the time is right. Otherwise, you end up bitter that you fought a lot and lost a big part of your life, fighting.
You will realize that some problems are not meant to be solved. You ignore them and push them aside and begin your chapter anew.
When You Start Over Again, Start Afresh.
It is sad to hear of the iconic Tina Turner's passing. May her soul rest in peace. She is one of the most gifted singers of all time. She had a fighting spirit in her too that led her to iconic status. Now her fight is over. May she find rest and peace in heaven.
-shobana-
News & Views
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Pour your heart into poetry!
Poetry is an art form that allows us to express our deepest emotions and thoughts in a way that is both beautiful and profound. A good...
The El-Nino is easing its way into our region if it hasn't done so already. I can't imagine the heat we would be subjected to in spite of the rain that comes after an afternoon of intense heat.
Right now, the hot weather is unbearable as it is.
The lone palm tree standing tall outside my house will give you an indication of what we are experiencing. Here's a picture for you to view. It was once a green and lush palm tree. How unfortunate that it is dying today
The poor tree once stood regal as the rest in the residential area. However, growing taller than the rest made it vulnerable to the direct heat from the sun.
Here's what happens. After the heat of the day, the afternoons are inundated by heavy thunderstorms. These thunderstorms cause massive flooding in some parts of Kuala Lumpur.
The dried palms then fall to the ground. Soon, this tree will be without any palms and have only a trunk to stand testimony as having lived once.
The question, of, if it would fall on the cars parked by the side of the road or fall onto the rooftop, is quite scary to think about.
The tree will be cut down in a matter of days, and we shall be saved from the danger of having our roof damaged.
However, trusting the weather is quite something else, a predicament in fact.
On another note:
Congratulations to the newly crowned King and Queen of England. I found the perfect recipe for a trifle in the Independent News. You can find it in the What's New column below. If you do get the time to bake the cake, let me know how it tasted.
Au Revoir, Shobana.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1383499/12879246
A coronation sherry cherry trifle recipe fit for a king
The coronation falls at the start of British cherry season, making it the perfect excuse to make this gloriously seasonal trifle fromAngela Clutton
Poetry is art, and art is subjective. You can tell this came sweetly from the writer's heart. It's been a long while since I've read actual poetry so it was a breath of fresh air. If you love personal poetry, this was a quick great read.
When I was growing up, I was awed by independent women who conducted their lives with confidence.
These women never cared about what people said and some referred to them as the crème of the crop because of their mastery at carving a name for themselves as autonomous. They made their own decisions.
I admired women who drove to work.
I admired women who dressed to kill.
I admired beautiful women who had their faces made up and who wore stilettos.
I admired women most of all who had a presence. Have you ever met someone whom you admired instantly?
They are often people who tend to represent perfection in your eyes. Just being around them created an aura of respectability, and it drives you to be the same.
I thought to emulate these women when I grew up. They had made an indelible mark on me.
There were two women whom I admired very much. They spoke well and had a dignified presence about them.
They were strong women, who rose up in their chosen professions with grit and perseverance. They had great families and earned a sizeable income each month to afford the luxuries of life. In short, they had everything going for them.
One day, I heard that one of them had depression and had deteriorated in stature and well-being. The other one had left the country after a messy divorce.
These were women I chose to emulate when young.
I ran into the depressed individual some time ago and she looked sick and stared at me blankly. I knew that she didn't recognize me.
I wasn't sure if I should stop to talk to her, so I passed her without saying anything.
I could only think that once she had it all together and had the world at her feet.
I did feel bad that I missed the opportunity to speak to her. But, she looked at me like I was a stranger. Hence, I found it difficult to talk to her.
That lady was beautiful once, and now, her beauty was marred and she had shrunk in size. Possibly due to her illness.
I felt sad and wondered if I would ever see her again.
It seemed now to me that life had been unkind to her in some way. I wondered what happened to the strength and success of her youth.
The events that had collided with her life had changed her into someone different than the one I knew before.
It takes a lot to be strong throughout your life. Life has its shortcomings, and only when you can handle them in a proper perspective, will you understand what strength is that lies beneath a false demeanor.
Have you ever thought about it this way? Let me know in the comment section.
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Did you know colors affect the way you think, rationalize and behave?
1.How does color affect your thoughts?
When my kids were growing up, they had a favorite color that they thought was best suited for them, and which I think in a lot of ways provided them comfort and confidence.
Whenever I took them shopping, they would pick out dresses aligned with their favorite colors.
I could never convince them otherwise, and if I insisted that they pick another color, they would throw a tantrum and the whole shopping expedition would be ruined. They had it in them that their favorite colors were their own representing who they were.
It was the same when they picked out their paraphernalia for school, school bags, pencil cases, and just about anything they bought.
As for me, I grew up loving the color blue, until I realized that my love for black ensembles, especially wearing black on occasions and outings created a diversion from my preference for blue.
I still go by the color blue, as they give me a sense of contentment and peace. It is practically ingrained in me that the color blue is not superfluous or glaring. It provides a calming effect for me.
How do you rationalize with colors?
Remember how when we draw angry or brooding looks, we always associate them with dark colors like
black, grey, or the darkest tinges of red or purple, and even blue?
When we describe something as beautiful, they are aligned with pastels or brighter shades that personify beauty and please the aesthetic senses.
How about when we describe something as glorious as the crimson sunsets or the orange and yellow-tinged sunrises? These masterpieces of creation are often described and rationalized by colors.
That's how the poets connect illusions with reality. They rationalize their poetic intrusions with the different colors of life.
How do you behave around colors of dread?
You mourn them. Like in funerals, you are in an extremely disillusioned state and you behave in that way, by wearing the colors that drive you to moan.
Just as in colors that exuberate your happiness, you tend to wear uplifting colors to reflect your inner self, so as to bring out the colors of joy in you.
Some colors change the way you look and feel. When you walk out of the house wearing a color that amplifies your state of mind and personality, you tend to behave the way it makes you feel. Happy, contented, and carefree.
Do you have a favorite color that amplifies you? Tell me in the comment section, I'd love to know.
What's New!
Do you use ChapGPT in your writing? Here's an article you would be happy to read.
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